Larkin Poe – Bloom Review

Many years ago I was in touch with a great Americana duo called LARKIN POE, and they were kind enough to send me 4 EP CDs they released entitled Spring, Fall, Summer and Winter. This was back in the year 2010, and now fast forward to 2025, the same duo has evolved into a hard rocking classic rock band. They are still called LARKIN POE, and besides the 2 sisters (Rebecca Lovell – lead vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo, violin, piano; drum programming, bass and arrangements and Megan Lovell – harmony vocals, lap steel, Dobro), they get a little help on the CD and also when playing live from several other musicians. One of them is the rock guitarist/singer/songwriter TYLER BRYANT, who also co-produced the new album Bloom, which is the band’s 7th full-length album so far. Without a doubt, live on stage LARKIN POE absolutely owns the venues where they are playing, and I was lucky enough to witness one of their gigs a few years ago (in the city of Utrecht). Anyway, their new album Bloom is another sensational record in their ever-growing discography. The production is massive this time, and it sounds even better than all of their earlier work, which was also already delivering the goods.

 

Opener Mockingbird rocks big time in a way it reminds me of classic 70s HEART, while following Easy Love Part 1 has got a southern bluesy rock touch. Little Bit slows things down in a calmer radio ready lush country pop/rock ballad direction, yet with a catchy chorus to sing-a-long to, but also a great slide-guitarsolo. Bluephoria has an excellent heavy groovy guitar riff like a female version of JOE BONAMASSA. It really seems the girls have delivered their finest record so far with this Bloom album. Easy Love Part 2 follows and this is a nice soulful semi-ballad.

The album continues with Nowhere Fast, a superb uptempo classic rocker that screams and grabs you right from the start with it’s driving AC/DC alike beat and catchy overall vibe. If God Is A Woman follows nicely in the swamp southern USA bluesy rockstyle, while Pearls is a hard-hitting big time sounding garage rocker with a groovy guitarsound as we know it from LARKIN POE. Fool Outta Me shows what an incredible singer Rebecca is, because this is a lovely midtempo melodic rocker with a rootsy rock guitarsound and it captures one of the best choruses on the album. You Are The River however also has a beautiful midtempo melodic rocking chorus. These last 2 songs could easily be compared to JAIME KYLE. Closing track Bloom Again is a song that starts calm and acoustic Americana orientated like LARKIN POE did in their early days, yet it develops into a powerful rockballad.

 

Concluded, the 2 sisters have delivered a true new masterpiece that should easily find it’s way to the fans. It’s their best record so far, and as you could read throughout the review, this is an album that should easily gain them new fans and perhaps even give them a couple of hits. 

 

Written by: Gabor Kleinbloesem

Ratings: Gabor   9/10